The present invention relates to a safety binding for a ski comprising a binding body which has, mounted in it, a return spring, adjustable means for prestressing the spring, and means for indicating the prestress of the spring which consist of a cursor linked kinematically with the prestressing means and a graduation in front of which the cursor moves, the graduation and the cursor being covered by a transparent part.
Several bindings of this type are known. The body of the binding has a cutout occupied by a label which bears the graduation, this label being covered by a transparent plate fixed in the cutout. A binding of this type is described, for example, in the patent application FR 2 740 695 in the name of the applicant.
In the binding described in patent FR 2 684 887, the label is fixed under the bottom of a transparent cup which is engaged in a cutout in the body of the binding and is covered by a transparent plate.
In addition to the cursor, the bindings according to the prior art are therefore equipped with a label and a transparent plate. This plate can be fixed in such a way as to ensure that the region of the label is watertight, but the inside of the binding remains exposed to snow and ice. In addition, a vacuum is formed between the label and the transparent plate, which weakens this plate. Further, in the event of impact, the transparent plate may be dislodged from its housing.
The objects of the invention are, on the one hand, to simplify the structure of the protection of the body, and of the means for displaying the prestress of the spring, and, on the other hand, to improve the watertightness of the body of the binding in order to obtain a structure which withstands impacts better.
The safety binding according to the invention is one wherein the body is at least partially covered with a casing which forms a protective cap and has at least one transparent region in front of the graduation.
The display means no longer comprise a label and the transparent plate is replaced by the transparent part of the casing. The latter is preferably in contact with the body via at least the greater part of its internal surface, so that it bears against the body and thus withstands impacts better.
According to a particular variant, the graduation is fixed directly to the body.
In the case of a pivot binding for binding the heel, a binding which comprises a cylindrical binding body secured rigidly to a sole grip, the casing is preferably in the form of a cylindrical cover which completely surrounds the body of the binding. This cover may also locally have recesses, for example a local recess for engaging a stick directly on the body when manually opening the binding.
The casing may be entirely or partially transparent, for example transparent only in the display region, and opaque or translucent in the other regions.
In order to make the casing, use is preferably made of synthetic materials which can be obtained in transparent form, for example polyurethanes, acrylates, polyamides and the like.
In the case of a variant in which the casing includes translucent or opaque regions, at least two different materials are used for manufacturing it, including one material for the transparent part and another material for forming the opaque or translucent regions.
According to another particular variant, the transparent region may be formed in such a way as to create a lens effect, an effect which makes it easier to read the graduation.